July came in hot, but the temperatures were predicted to drop slightly out of the triple digits by weeks end.  Just in time for the Independent's Day celebrations.  I spent my mornings awake early reading Donovan's autobiography.  I loved hearing his story of success and adventure during the amazing movement of the 60's.  His Celtic vibes, truth and compassion inspired me.  I went to the library and found Brother Son, Sister Moon, a movie he had scored.  It was all about St. Francis of Assisi's life, finding his path to holiness through freedom from materialism and embracing God in all.  I loved it. 

Ed and I had another date day, thanks to Zyla having an all day playdate with her friend Mikee.  Can I even call them playdates anymore?  Now that she was turning teenager, headed toward her second year of junior high, but what else should I call it, wasn't sure.  Ed and I headed up to Universal City Walk to see The Lone Ranger on its opening day.  I love all things Johnny Depp and was not disappointed.  Special surprise, another magical favorite, Helena Bonham Carter, playing the head of a bordello with an ivory fake leg shotgun, love her!  Afterward, Ed and I lunched at Buca di Beppo.  I had not been there in forever and happily devoured the Chicken Saltimbocca, so tender and juicy mmmmm. 

Happy Celebration of Freedom!  We spent our 4^th of July at the Starlight bowl with David, Diana and Tobey.  We arrived early to stand in the line an hour before opening so we could have front row grass seats.  The weather was perfect, not too hot.  Zyla ran into her friend Isabella from school and we invited her to Hurricane Harbor for the following day.  I ran into Antar and Jane from the Whitney show.  Such a small world Burbank.  We talked about our upcoming show Sean Saves the World.  I was looking forward to working with all my friends again next month.  Drinking Pinot Noir, listening to the band, then relaxing under the stars as the night sky filled with bursts of color, I felt very happy and blessed.

The following morning we woke early to get ready for Hurricane Harbor.  Isabella's mom dropped her off, then we all headed up to Santa Clarita.  The weather was perfect in the 80's with a slight breeze.  Everyone must have had the same idea, because the crowd in front of the gates was insane!  Thank god for the Gold Pass early entry line.  I wish it opened an hour before the park, instead of only 10 minutes before, but early is early.  We were able to get great lawn chairs by the wave pool in the shade the entire day.  Ed and I switch off taking the girls on waterslides.  I went with them to Black Snake Summit, the taller slides with no inner tubes, which had been closed last time we came.  That was a spooky run.  After lunch, I took the girls on Tiki Falls, which was also closed last time.  The lines were out of control, this one an hour long, but it was all worth it.  The slide was thrilling and we all had so much fun.  Isabella had to get back early to dance class, so we called it a day after 5 hours, taking her home.  Netflix had delivered Artificial Intelligence.  I had not seen the movie since it came out over a decade ago.  Knowing all the history behind it, made it even more interesting.  I could totally see Kubrick's style throughout, with Steven Spielberg's genius eye.  Steven had done the film as a tribute to Kubrick, who had spoken to him about this project for over a decade, then died before seeing it made.  It brought up a lot of questions for Zyla about life, and God and the future of the world.  I wondered if we would be the generation to see robots come to life in such a manner.  I loved Emily Osment and after seeing her so much on Disney channel over the past few years, it was funny how much her brother Haley Joel Osment who starred in AI looked just like her, they could be twins!  Haley did an amazing job acting and was indeed a raw rare talent. 

Saturday we were mellow as Ed prepped his gear for the two-week fellowship at Kent State, in Ohio.  We went to Mass that evening, maybe our last time in the main sanctuary of St. Charles.  This church where Ed and I courted our love, married, where my mom and I both joined the Catholic faith, where Zyla received her first communion, was now going to be under renovations for possibly two years.  I just hoped it would all be done in time for her 8^th grade graduation.  It wouldn't be quite the same having Mass in the Social Center or in her school auditorium.  We watched a few episodes of Ugly Betty together, then Ed and I watched The L Word, before falling asleep for a few hours.  Ed woke up at 2:30am to get ready for the airport.  I got up about an hour later, had some coffee and by 3:45am, was on the empty freeway driving him down to LAX.  I pulled up to United and hugged him good-bye one last time before driving back home.  I went back to bed for a few more hours, then got up to get ready to take Zyla to her second aerial silks class.  I spent some time reading more about Celtic Spirituality and found a typo in my book.  The goddess Adsullata, which I had researched months ago, was spelled Adsalluta.  I went online to see if maybe this was just a different spelling of the Celtic Slovenian river goddess of healing and found it was.  I took time to read more about Adsullata, ‘She who is Gazed Upon' magically making herself known to me again this year. 

Before heading to Jodi's, Zyla and I facetimed with Ed in Ohio.  It was weird to see him in the ipad somewhere else, while we were still at home without him.  It was another crazy night in BonTemps, and I think I may have drank too much red wine.  Jodi invited us for a swim at her mother in laws for the next day.  Monday, I got Zyla off to her first Jr. Lifeguard swim class at the newly refurbished Verdugo pool in Burbank.  We had not been there since she took swim lessons in kindergarten.  It had then shut down for repairs that lasted forever.  It was nice to be back, the pool looked beautiful.  After, I grilled up burgers, and got Zyla a frappuccino; we headed over to swim with Jodi and the kids.  The temperatures rose to 98 degrees, and were going to be even hotter tomorrow.  I loved the salt-water black bottom pool, which left my skin feeling soft and refreshed.  Zyla and I facetimed with Ed again before falling asleep.

Tuesday it was over 100 degrees, so after swim class, Zyla and I stayed in the air conditioning watching old 80's movies, like The Breakfast Club.  Wednesday, the weather cooled off with a little bit of a sprinkle in the air, so that was nice.  After Zyla's swim class, I dropped her to her friend Mikee's for a playdate, then went to Sushi Dan's for lunch with my friend Jason.  He was on hiatus from the Kirstie Alley show and looking for a new gig.  I watched Ghost World, that afternoon, great old film with a young Scarlette Johansson looking super adorable.  Zyla and I watched Tristan + Isolde.  I had read online that the goddess Adsullata was found in this old Welsh tale.  Before Romeo and Juliet, this similar story of impossible love between an Irish Princess and British Prince, was beautifully shot on location with James Franco starring as Tristan.  I loved it.  It rained all night; I hardly got any sleep, and woke with a lower back pain and headache.  It was still drizzling when we pulled up to the pool, but stopped just before Zyla's lesson.  I took Zyla to Angelino Pizzeria, so she could try their amazing meatball sub.  The rest of the day Zyla spent packing for her Catalina camping trip.  Kids Management called with a rush call for the Disney show Crash and Bernstein shooting near us, but Zyla was not up for it, too engaged in packing for her first weekend overnight camping adventure away from her family.  We found time to watch Some Kind of Wonderful, my first PG-13 movie I saw in the theatres when I was a child.  Friday morning, I dropped Zyla off at her friend Clarissa's to ride with them to their Catalina adventure.  Kids Management texted again with rush work to the same show, but she was already gone. 

I was free, for three days and two nights, no Ed, no Zyla.  What would I do with my free time?  I made plans with Joleen to go to Flapper's Comedy she came over around 6pm.  We had a drink before heading to the club.  My groupon included our two tickets and a free appetizer and dessert.  We opted for the Mushroom Brochette that was really good, and the ever-tasty red velvet cake.  Champange and laughter filled night with Samuel J. Comroe, DC Ervin and Tony Baker.  Afterward I came home and facetimed with Ed before falling asleep.  Saturday, Joleen and I made plans to lunch at Mexico City in Los Felis before heading to the Vintage Los Felis 3 Theatre to see Bling Ring.  Zyla called me early in the morning from her friend's parents cell phone to let me know she had gotten their safely and was having fun.  I met up with Joleen around noon at Mexico City sharing fish tacos before we walked over to the theatre.  The Vintage Los Felis theatre was so cute!  Very small, intimate, clean atmosphere, with starry ceilings and spiral paintings on the walls.  The turquoise blue curtain draped over the screen, no previews to watch before the previews like other big moster-plexes.  The movie started when it was scheduled.  I adored this theatre and their super low prices not to be found anywhere else, this was a gem!  The Bling Ring was beautifully shot and acted out.  This true-life story about a group of teenagers who burglarize Hollywood's rich and famous, was not all that surprising.  With the way our world glorifies, glamorizes fashion and riches, with the access we have to so much information, it was as if the celebrities with their houses left unlocked, and their riches on display online, along with when they would be out of town, tempted these children who seemed as if they were just playing a silly game, dared into a world of excess that got out of hand and was in fact illegal.  Joleen took off the rest of the evening from her Pink Mustache Lyft taxi service since the Treyvon Martin case was in deliberation.  She was worried about riots if the judgment came back not guilty.  She had a free ticket to the ArcLight in Hollywood and we really wanted to see The Heat as well, so after drinks at her house, then dinner at Bossa Nova, we had planned to walk the mile down Sunset to the theatre when the jury vote came in.  Not guilty.  It was an uproar all over the Internet.  We decided to play it safe and drive to the theatre.  We arrived at Arclight much earlier than we planned, but it was a good thing, considering our movie was almost all sold out!  We got the last two seats next to each other.  With a half hour to spare, we went to the theatre bar but they did not serve wine, so we headed outside and half way down the block to the corner bar where we had just missed happy hour.  I do like Arclight's seating arrangement, that you pick your seats when you buy tickets like on an airplane, then can show up whenever, your seat will be open for you.  We entered the theatre after the previews had started.  The Heat was very funny.  Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy were brilliant together!  So many comedic bits, I loved it and expected a sequel would follow soon.  I drove home in the nightmarish Hollywood traffic taking almost an hour to get over the hill to the Valley, something that usually takes 10 minutes.  Just before midnight, Ed called me as soon as I walked in, telling me all about his amazing adventures at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.  The following morning was Bastille Day, being celebrated at Mimi's with the original 1978 prices of menu items.  Joleen joined me for mimosas and the Pain Perdu, my favorite yummy French toast stuffed with cream cheese and marmalade.  Then all of a sudden news broke out over the Internet that Cory Monteith died in Vancouver from an overdose.  One of our top favorite Glee stars, was dead at only 31 years old.  It was insane, I was shocked.  I wondered if Zyla knew yet.  Ed texted me the news as well.  I went home and was going to lie down but decided to watch Iron Jawed Angels, which had come from Netflix.  This movie was brilliant, Hillary Swank did an amazing job as always, showing what the women of our country went through in the early part of last century, during the Suffrage movement to bring women the right to vote.  I took a nap.  I had missed Zyla's call from camp, from some unknown cell phone.  I tried calling back but no one answered.  The mom who brought her had never contacted me the entire weekend.  I knew they were scheduled into the dock in Long Beach around 5pm, so I was hoping to hear from someone then.  I had really enjoyed my girls night/weekend out with Joleen and was thankful for such a wonderful friend.  I was also missing my little and excited to be seeing her soon.  It was True Blood night again, and I was taking Zyla with me to Jodi's as soon as she got home.

The week that followed was mellow.  Zyla was burnt and exhausted from camp, so after her swim lessons I kept her inside to rest.  She had a big summer project book report for school that she worked on.  I watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid parts 2 and 3 with her.  Jodi had suggested I pick up The Host, the new book by Stephanie Meyer who had written the Twilight series.  The movie had already been released and Jodi wanted me to read the book first before we watched it.  Zyla and I also watched more 80's movies like Weekend at Bernie's, and Adventures in Babysitting which she found very funny.  The news released how Cory had died, heroin and alcohol.  I educated Zyla on the dangers of hard drugs, she was still in shock that he was gone.  It was the first time a young celebrity that she knew, had been watching for three years and was invested in had died.  Kids Management texted with a gig on Crash & Bernstein, this time I booked it for Zyla.  She was not that thrilled with the new Disney show that featured a muppet, but she was happy to be working again, making her money.  An amazing BBC three part mini series called Tipping the Velvet, came from Netflix.  Brilliantly done, fell in love with the Whitstable mermaid Rachael Stirling's performance as well as all the cast.  Beautifully shot on location with perfect Victorian era period piece wardrobes.  Stunning work two thumbs up!

The day before Ed came home from his Fellowship at Kent, Zyla and I headed to the set of Crash & Bernstein.  Zyla had a late call time of noon, so she slept in, then I got her up to get ready for set.  We had packed her bag the night before with fall colors.  She did not have many sweaters since she doesn't wear them, and ended up borrowing a few of mine she fit into.  The stages were at some obsolete tiny studio in Van Nuys off Saticoy, which I had never been to.  We had to park down a side street across from the studio since parking on the lot was limited.  We ended up an hour early to set and sat inside the stuffy holding.  Not too long before air conditioning was turned on and we were checked in.  Around noon, she was taken to wardrobe who approved her clothes.  She was wearing my Victoria Secret orange sweater, which looked really cute on her.  They also wanted her to change into my long sleeve mauve shirt for her second look.  I was glad my clothes had worked out for her.  She was brought to set right before lunch to do crosses by the lockers in the hall.  Zyla knew a few of the kids on set, one from About A Boy who had been a rhythm gymnast with her and one from some other set.  When crew came in to start eating lunch, I saw Jimmy, the sound guy from Whitney.  I went over to say hi, and we got caught up on what was going on.  He said the whole sound department from Whitney was here, and they would not be going to Sean Saves the World, because it didn't work with their schedule.  Timmy the other sound guy was there too, wearing his Whitney Season 2 sweatshirt.  As more crew came through, I saw Warren the 1^st AD from my Dexter days, then Traci, the stand in from my Better Off Ted days!  Lunch was amazing, a spicy Cuban spread that filled me up for the long night ahead.  I spent a lot of time reading The Host almost finishing half the 600+ page book.  Zyla went to set numerous times, had fun making fun of the silly muppet who eats too much candy on this Halloween episode and almost explodes.  Zyla wrapped out by 9pm.  We got home exhausted and fell asleep.

Friday morning I woke early.  Ed's cell phone was not working.  He was not receiving my texts and I wasn't sure it he was receiving my calls, but I would get his messages.  He wasn't due in to LAX until 8pm, so I hoped that was still the plan.  I was scheduled to take Zyla and Mikee to Grown Ups 2 before heading down to pick him up.  The movie was very funny as Adam Sandler and his crew of top comedians tends to be.  We lunched at Fuddruckers, then Zyla treated us all to Coldstone.  Around 7pm, I headed down the 405 freeway not hitting traffic until I was a few miles from the airport.  I arrive about 10 minutes late, circling LAX arrivals while trying to call Ed.  His phone seemed turned off, I had no idea what was going on, until he finally answered saying his plane had been delayed.  Zyla and I drove out of the airport to wait in a parking lot down the street for almost an hour before he was ready for pick up.  It was wonderful to have him home again and bring our happy family together in one place once more.  He told us stories of his adventures while we rode back to Burbank.

The weekend went by quickly, doing last minute preparations for our trip to Iowa.  We watched another disk of Smash.  I was excited for my upcoming stand in role for the talented Megan Hilty.  Monday, we picked up Mikee for a perfect day at Hurricane Harbor.  The weather was brilliant and the park not too crowded, allowing the girls to hit all their favorite waterslides twice.  I loved switching off with Ed to take them on all the wet fun. 

Tuesday we woke around 4am to get ready for the taxi.  Over to Burbank Airport, and off we flew.  Layover in Phoenix no issue and arrived safely in Des Moines, Iowa.  My mom was waiting for us.  The stress of L.A. melted away amid the lush green rolling landscape and open stretches of sky.  I loved coming here to relax in the slow paced country atmosphere.  A wee bit of magic turned the usual summer heat into picture perfect weather settling in the 70's most days.  Ed and I slept in my grandmother's room.  She had recently been moved to a nursing home.  I had been coming to my grandparent's house my entire life, nestled in the middle of Madison County in Winterset.  My mom continued to live in the house and keep it like it had always been since her childhood days.  Ed brought his laptop to work on a new horror script, so there was much talk of ghosts.  I had crazy colorful dreams every night due to the unsettled imaginings.  We planned for a mellow trip this time and did not schedule to do too much.  We visited my grandmother most days in her new place, my mom and I went for walks.  Ed and I celebrated our 14^th Wedding Anniversary at the Waterfront, a delicious seafood restaurant.  Afterward we took a private walk in Winterset City Park to the covered bridge locations used in Bridges of Madison County.  A rogue guitarist was playing some of our favorite songs as we strolled through.  We had drinks at our favorite bar, which would not be hosting karaoke while we were in town, but we enjoyed ourselves nevertheless.  The 11 days flew by with trips to the Madison Historical Society, tours through haunted houses.  We spent a day over in Creston at the Union County Historical Museum, toured another old mansion.  Then my mom surprised us with a trip to Indianola to see the hot air balloons take to the skies!  Up close watching as the balloons are pulled from trucks and vans, hooked up to baskets and blown up to amazing heights then drift off on the gentle breeze into the skies was really cool.  We visited with my cousin Kim while her kids Tyler and Clayton had fun playing with Zyla in the Winterset City Park hedge maze.  I took an adorable picture of Zyla in the backyard of my grandmother's house to update her Kids Management file, and hoped it would bring her many calls for work the remainer of the year.  My cousin Sylvia joined us at the Des Moines Art Center looking at all the amazing free art on display, Van Gogh, Monet, O'Keeffe, Warhol.  Wandered through the rose garden before heading to John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park to take fun silly pictures together amid the giant sculptures.  At some random sports bar I had the best martini ever, Vanilla Vodka with Amaretto, so yummy.  The trip was perfect, Ed finished his script in the attic, I had lots of time with my mom and Zyla introduced her grandmother to Facetime, mermaids and Heyday.  We left with a bunch of cookies Zyla had baked with my mom and smiles from all our happy memories.  Kisses good-bye mom and many thank you's for a wonderful time.